Beef Teriyaki
Easy Beef Teriyaki – Skip takeout and instead make your favorite Japanese American fusion dish at home! This tender and delicious steak teriyaki recipe includes only a handful of simple ingredients, and is ready to serve with fluffy rice or other Asian-inspired sides in only about 30 minutes!
Why We Love Beef Teriyaki
Good stir-fry recipes are a must-have in busy home kitchens. The name alone instantly makes you think of a dish that’s quick to make on the stovetop, using a wok (or another sturdy pan) and VERY high heat. In fact, we feature several stir-fry recipes on the site because they are just as fast, easy, and consistently delicious! Similar to our Japanese Ginger Pork Stir-Fry, today we’re sharing this terrific Teriyaki Steak recipe, a classic Japanese-American stirfry with a dazzling savory-sweet glossy brown sauce. We’re sure you’ll love it, too!
If you’re new to cooking you may think teriyaki sauce is complicated, therefore it’s just better to buy bottled teriyaki sauce at the grocery store. However, teriyaki sauce is extremely easy to make at home, and allows you a lot of flexibility to personalize the flavor.
This simple beef teriyaki recipe combines stir-fried steak and scallions, with a quick-made teriyaki sauce. It’s ready in about 30 minutes, and is finished with fresh green onion and sesame seeds for a main dish that will thrill your family!
Ingredients You Need
For the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce –
- Garlic – minced
- Ginger – fresh grated
- Soy sauce – I recommend low-sodium
- Sugar – granulated white (or brown sugar)
- Vinegar – rice vinegar is optimal, but slightly diluted white vinegar will also work
- Crushed red pepper flakes – optional for a great kick of heat
For the Teriyaki Steak –
- Sesame oil – or other high-heat and neutral flavored oil, like avocado or canola oil
- Flank steak – fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Green onions – sliced
- Cornstarch – to thicken the sauce
- Sesame seeds – to garnish
How to Make Beef Teriyaki
Prep all ingredients: Chop the flank steak into 1-inch cubes, then toss the steak cubes in cornstarch to coat. Chop the green onions and divide them into whites and greens. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
Set a wok (or large sauté pan) over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil to the pan. Once hot, add the steak cubes and onion whites to the pan. Stirfry the steak cubes until brown on all sides but not cooked through. If working with a smaller pan, brown the steak in batches so it sears, not steams, as it cooks.
Once all the steak cubes are browned, move them to a holding plate, leaving the remaining fat and juices in the pan.
For the teriyaki sauce: Place the garlic and ginger in the pan. Stirfry for 2-3 minutes to soften. Then add the soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Stir and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the sauce thickens into a gravy consistency.
Add the browned steak cubes and juices back to the skillet. Toss and coat for 2-3 more minutes until the steak is fully cooked through.
Get the Complete (Printable) Beef Teriyaki Recipe and Measurements Below. Enjoy!
Turn off the heat and stir in the onion greens and sesame seeds.
Serving Suggestions
Serve teriyaki warm over fluffy white rice and/or Asian noodles, like ramen or soba noodles. For an even heartier meal consider serving with Japanese hibachi fried rice or miso clear soup.
Although this is not a low-carb dish, because teriyaki sauce contains a decent amount of sugar, you can make it lower-carb by serving it with cauliflower rice instead of white rice.
Pair the saucy and tender teriyaki with crisp, lightly cooked veggies. I love to let the sauce be the star and serve with steamed broccoli or snap peas. Or go with a simple and delicious crisp green salad with homemade Japanese ginger salad dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flank steak can become tough if the heat isn’t high enough to properly sear, and/or it is cooked for too long in the wok. Let the pan get super duper hot before adding oil and the meat, and only cook for a few minutes on each side to seal in the juices. The center of the steak should still be pink. But the meat will continue to cook a bit more once it is added to the hot teriyaki sauce.
Cornstarch is the thickener used in this easy Asian-inspired recipe. It’s gluten-free and doesn’t have much of a taste, so it’s perfect to make a luscious sauce that shines!
This beef teriyaki recipe is great to include as part of your weekly meal prep! Leftovers taste delish, and will keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Looking for More Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Simple Teriyaki Bowl with Chicken
- Teriyaki BBQ Shrimp Skewers
- Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Pizza
- Huli Huli Chicken
- Easy Vegan Stir Fry Sauce with Noodles
- Sheet Pan Mongolian Beef
- Easy Hunan Beef
- Beijing Beef (Copycat Panda Express Recipe)
Easy Beef Teriyaki
Ingredients
- For the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce –
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- ¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- For the Teriyaki Steak –
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 ½ pounds flank steak cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 bunch green onions divided into whites and greens
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients: Chop the flank steak into 1-inch cubes, then toss the steak cubes in cornstarch to coat. Chop the green onions and divide into whites and greens. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
- Set a wok (or large sauté pan) over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil to the pan. Once hot, add the steak cubes and onion whites to the pan. Stirfry the steak cubes until brown on all sides but not cooked through. If working with a smaller pan, brown the steak in batches so it sears, not steams, as it cooks.
- Once all the steak cubes are browned, move them to a holding plate, leaving the remaining fat and juices in the pan.
- For the teriyaki sauce: Place the garlic and ginger in the pan. Stirfry for 2-3 minutes to soften. Then add the soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Stir and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the sauce thickens into a gravy consistency.
- Add the browned steak cubes and juices back to the skillet. Toss and coat for 2-3 more minutes until the steak is fully cooked through. Turn off the heat and stir in the onion greens and sesame seeds.
- Serve warm over rice, noodles, or low-carb cauliflower rice.
This is so perfect for busy weeknights! Delicious and so easy to make!
So happy I found this recipe. I had flank steaks and no idea what to make and this was perfect! Delicious!
This was a hit! We had this for dinner and the kids loved it. Super tender and flavorful. Keeping this recipe!
This beef teriyaki dish was everything that I could have wanted and more! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!